How RL Garage Scaled to 6M Users

Q: What technologies are best for gaming companion apps?

For gaming companion apps, React Native is ideal for cross-platform development (iOS and Android from one codebase). We pair it with Redux for state management, Socket.io for real-time features, Firebase for push notifications, and AWS for scalable backend infrastructure. This stack enables fast development, great performance, and easy maintenance - perfect for gaming apps that need frequent updates.

Q: Can you maintain and improve existing mobile apps?

Yes, we specialize in taking over existing apps with large codebases and multiple previous developers. We provide dedicated React Native developers who integrate seamlessly with your team, handle platform updates, fix performance issues, add new features, and maintain stability. Our RL Garage partnership demonstrates this - we joined a 5-year-old production app and successfully scaled it to 6 million users.

Q: How long does React Native app development take?

React Native development timelines vary by complexity. A basic gaming companion app takes 3-4 months for MVP, while feature-rich platforms with trading, social features, and complex UI require 6-12 months. React Native's cross-platform nature speeds development significantly compared to building separate iOS and Android apps. We use agile methodology to deliver working versions incrementally.

Q: Can you optimize mobile app performance and reduce crashes?

Yes, performance optimization is a core strength. We've solved critical issues like app hangings, crashes, slow image/video loading, and inefficient rendering. Our optimization work on RL Garage included: solving performance bottlenecks, optimizing video and image collections, reducing service costs through efficiency improvements, and performing major React Native platform updates. We use profiling tools and best practices to ensure smooth, fast apps.

Q: Do you provide dedicated mobile developers for long-term projects?

Yes, our dedicated team model is perfect for ongoing app development. We provide experienced React Native developers who work directly with your team, communicate daily via Slack, use your project management tools, and adapt to your workflow. This model offers flexibility, deep product knowledge, and consistent quality - ideal for apps requiring continuous feature development and maintenance.

Q: What makes a successful gaming companion app?

Successful gaming companion apps combine: real-time data and updates, social features (trading, forums, friends), performance optimization (fast load times, smooth animations), regular content updates aligned with game updates, push notifications for important events, offline capabilities where needed, and clean, intuitive UI. RL Garage's success (6M users, #1 for Rocket League) demonstrates these principles in action.

Q: Can you handle mobile app monetization implementation?

Yes, we implement various monetization strategies including in-app purchases (subscriptions, one-time purchases), advertisement integration (banner ads, interstitial, rewarded videos), premium membership features, and payment processing. For RL Garage, we implemented newer, more efficient approaches to in-app purchases and advertisements that improved revenue while maintaining user experience.

RL Garage mobile app interface showing trading platform and community features

Scaling React Native Gaming App to 6 Million Users

We helped Wavedash GmbH maintain and scale RL Garage - the #1 Rocket League companion app - adding 1M+ users, optimizing performance, and building high-performance features for the world's largest Rocket League trading platform.

About the Client

#1 Rocket League Network

Founded in 2015 by Laurids Düllmann and Chris Dolman, RL Garage became the world's first fan site for Rocket League and has grown into the largest trading platform and community hub for the game.

Operated by Wavedash GmbH (Berlin, Germany), RL Garage serves millions of players worldwide with comprehensive trading features, car design tools, player statistics, clip sharing, and community discussions. The platform spans web, iOS, Android, and desktop applications.

RL Garage offers both free access and premium membership ($2.99) with enhanced trading features, demonstrating a sustainable business model in the competitive gaming companion app market.

Results

6M+

Total registered users

1M+

Users added during partnership

4.2★

App Store rating

1+ year

Ongoing partnership

Goal & Outcome

Goal

Laurids Düllmann, founder of Wavedash GmbH, needed a reliable developer to take over RL Garage—the largest Rocket League companion app.

The challenge: a 5-year-old production app, complex codebase, and seamless transition for millions of users.

Outcome

We assigned a senior React Native developer who quickly onboarded and took ownership of mobile app development.

With a dedicated team approach, we ensured stable releases and continuous product growth.

Laurids Düllmann

Founder, Wavedash GmbH

Laurids Düllmann

ProductCrafters always found a way to implement what we wanted. Everyone there is impressively dedicated to delivering a perfect solution. Their dedication is unmatched.

5.0

★★★★★

16 reviews

View on Clutch

Need a Rewards Platform?

We build gaming apps, loyalty programs, and reward systems from MVP to scale — with 6M+ users across our projects.

Before

Traditional Process

Performance Issues

App experiencing hangings and crashes affecting user experience

Developer Unavailability

Previous developer becoming unavailable with knowledge gaps

Outdated Architecture

Legacy code patterns and older React Native versions

High Service Costs

Inefficient resource usage driving up operational expenses

Limited Features

Missing modern capabilities like rich text editing and advanced animations

After

Digital Solution

Optimized Performance

Solved critical hangings and crashes, optimized video/image loading for smooth experience

Dedicated Ownership

Experienced developer with deep product knowledge and full autonomy

Modern Platform

Successfully performed several major React Native updates while maintaining stability

Cost Optimization

Reduced service usage costs through efficiency improvements and optimization

Advanced Capabilities

Custom rich text editor, complex animations, efficient in-app purchases and ads

Results Delivered

1,000,000+ new users joined the platform during the year
Maintained 4.2-star rating on App Store with 5,000+ reviews
Successfully scaled infrastructure to support 6M+ total users

Solved critical performance issues that caused app hangings and crashes
Optimized video & image collections for faster loading and smooth scrolling
Reduced service costs through efficiency improvements in resource usage
Successfully performed multiple major React Native updates while maintaining app stability

Custom rich text editor with custom emojis and GIF support for community posts
Complex animations enhancing user experience and engagement
Modernized monetization with more efficient in-app purchases and advertisement integration
Enhanced stability through proactive maintenance and user feedback response

❌ Slow

RL Garage app interface before performance optimization

✅ Fast

RL Garage app interface after performance optimization showing improved UI

Need a Rewards Platform?

We build gaming apps, loyalty programs, and reward systems from MVP to scale — with 6M+ users across our projects.

Development Process

Codebase Analysis

Analyzed 5-year-old codebase, understood architecture decisions, identified technical debt, and documented patterns from multiple previous developers to plan improvements.

Team Integration

Integrated with existing team on Slack, adopted client's direct management approach, established asynchronous communication with Loom demos for efficient collaboration.

Stabilization & Updates

Performed major React Native platform updates, fixed critical performance issues causing crashes, maintained app stability while adding new capabilities.

Feature Development

Built custom rich text editor with emojis/gifs, implemented efficient monetization approaches, created complex animations, optimized video/image performance.

Optimization & Growth

Reduced service costs through efficiency improvements, optimized resource usage, enabled scaling to 6M+ users, supported 1M+ user growth during partnership year.

Continuous Improvement

Regular app maintenance, response to user feedback tickets, continuous bug fixes, feature enhancements based on user needs and game updates.

Under the Hood

Mobile & Real-time Tech

React Native for cross-platform mobile apps with real-time updates using Socket.io, state management with Redux, Firebase backend services, Redis caching, and AWS cloud infrastructure.

React Native

Redux

Redis

Socket.io

Firebase

AWS

FaQ

How much does gaming companion app development cost?

Gaming companion app development costs vary based on features, platforms, and complexity. Basic apps start at $30,000-$50,000, while feature-rich platforms like RL Garage typically range from $100,000 to $300,000+. Costs depend on backend complexity, integrations, and scale. Free consultation available.

What technologies are best for gaming companion apps?

We use React Native for cross-platform apps, Redux for state management, Socket.io for real-time features, Firebase for notifications, and AWS for scalable backend infrastructure.

Can you maintain and improve existing mobile apps?

Yes, we take over existing apps with large codebases and provide dedicated developers who handle updates, performance fixes, and new features.

How long does React Native app development take?

Basic MVP apps take 3–4 months, while complex gaming platforms require 6–12 months. React Native speeds up development by enabling a single codebase for iOS and Android.

Can you optimize mobile app performance and reduce crashes?

Yes, we optimize performance by fixing crashes, improving rendering, speeding up media loading, and reducing bottlenecks. We significantly improved stability and performance for large-scale apps like RL Garage.

Do you provide dedicated mobile developers for long-term projects?

Yes, our dedicated team model provides long-term React Native developers.

What makes a successful gaming companion app?

Successful apps include real-time updates, social features, fast performance, regular content updates, push notifications, and clean UI. RL Garage (6M+ users) is a strong example.

Can you handle mobile app monetization implementation?

Yes, we implement in-app purchases, subscriptions, ads, and premium features. We also optimize monetization strategies to balance revenue and user experience.

RL Garage connects Rocket League players across all platforms globally, with ProductCrafters providing development expertise from our international team.